Thin Mints

I have discovered that Thin Mints do not make one thin.  Nor do Samoas, Dosidos, or Tagalongs.  Lemon Chalets could definitely keep me thin though. 

It is that time of year and we are knee deep in cookies.  Our family bought 8 boxes and we are down to half a sleeve of Trefoils.  I have a love/hate relationship with Girl Scout cookies.  It is the simplest fundraiser ever-people actually love buying them.  I hate delivering them...except to good friends-those are fun deliveries.  I hate handling that much money, making change, cashing checks, etc.  Lilly and I did some door to door sales in Hula Girl's neighorhood.  It was nice to be in the excellent weather, but not my first choice of what to be doing.  Overall, I think the whole cookie experience is a good one.  All of my kids can tell you how much almost any amount of boxes of cookies cost AND they learn all the rules of salesmanship.  Win/win.

I'm so glad we have now mostly finished our family stash of cookies.  Look out diet...I am back on track  CHOO! CHOO!

Just For Today...

• The weather is so gorgeous, I never want it to change!
• Girl Scout cookies are here...my sanity shall depart soon.
• I am processing a wrong done to me and how I should deal with it.
• I am thankful for friends and family.
• I am not loving our new insurance...not hating it, just not loving it.  (I realize I should just be thankful because there are those who have none.)
• I am blessed to have three beautiful girls who are very good kids.
• I love my middle school class that I teach on Wednesdays!
• I love David Baldacci books!!!!!
• I love blogworld.  Writing and reading!

Friends...

Where to begin?  I have many thoughts on friendship today.  I used to think being a friend meant loving people no matter what and letting them treat you however they were able to: nice people treated you nicely, mean people treated you not as nicely.  Now, even though I was a very tolerant friend, I did prefer the company of those who treated me well.

As I have grown and changed in maturity and also tolerance, I choose my friends differently.  AND, the term friend means alot more than it did once.  I still try really hard to love everyone no matter what and allow them to treat me the best they can.  I, in turn, try to be as kind to them as my personality will allow.  I am not as nice as I once was but I'm as nice once as I ever was. (Ignore this Toby Keith song reference...I don't like country music much, but this song makes me laugh)  I, like most people, have been burned, damaged, broken, mended, healed and do the best I can.

Lately, I have this urge to maintain some lost friendships, mend broken ones and just generally nurture all my relationships in a way I never have.  I think this comes out of the fact that I have some powerful, God-ordained friendships that encourage me to be the best me I can.  They love me for exactly who I am and believe God means for me to be that way.  Sure, I can polish off the rough edges, but I don't need to recreate myself to be useful.  I feel comfortable being me for the first time in my life.  I'm proud of who I am-broken parts and all.  The pride comes in the fact that I am created for a purpose...not sure exactly what that purpose is yet, but I am pretty sure I already have all the gifts I am supposed to have for it.  I am also pretty sure it centers on the relationships God has given to me.

Oh how I want to pass on my lessons learned to my children.  I want them to know they are made to be exactly who they are and God has a purpose for their personalities.  I want them to embrace who they are and feel good about themselves.  I don't want them to have to be 39 years old before they look in the mirror and love who they see.  I want them to choose great friends-iron sharpening iron kinds of friends.  Is it possible to save them years and years of turmoil?   How different would my life look if I had gotten this message at 9, 13 or 14 instead of 39?  Would I have changed the world?  Is middle age a requirement for being comfortable in your own skin?

Random and Odd

• My kids were out of school the whole week...maybe an hour on Monday and then no more.  WOW.  Summer just got alot shorter.
• We went to the library today.  And felt like guests.  Lilly even said, "Since it isn't OUR library any more, I need to wait and go upstairs with you."  Also, we left with 7 movies and 3 books.  That is not a proper homeschooling ratio. (I felt like Heather F.!)
• Sorting through curriculum, posting things for sale on YAHOO! loop, getting caught up on laundry, sorting through clothes in our drawers and closets to get out what we don't wear, reading Purpose Driven Life, Catching up on CBS workbook, getting walls in Erika's room ready to be painted, changing light bulb in bathroom...those were the things on my to-do list.  What did I actually do?  Slept in and watched TV.
• Itty Bitty Kitty/Black Black is now officially trained to come sit in your lap when you wiggle your fingers.  Of course her mere 6 lbs doesn't feel as cozy as Gray Gray's 13 lbs did, but it's close.
• My Nook has books downloaded onto it at last.  That only took a week!  Note to the wise: IF you don't have WIFI at home, shell out the extra $50 for anywhere WIFI built in.
• Along with sleeping in, I have reacquainted myself with staying up too late, not counting calories, not exercising and generally feeling like crap as a result of all of those.  Hand me my beer and cigarettes...LOL, just kidding.

That is all for now, I really should be sleeping instead of regaling you with the tales of my amazingly productive week!

To Whom It May Concern:

Dear Snow,

I have loved you for so long.  We have dashed out even in the night to sled down our hill that you made slippy.  We have rolled you up into snowballs and snowmen.  You have given us delightful memories and yes, even snow cream from time to time.  My heart has sped up at the prospect of your arrival.  I have stayed up late to watch your beautiful flakes begin to fall.  I have spent countless hours perched in windows just watching you in your breath-taking white perfection.

With that said, I think I need to let you in on a little secret.  This is Kentucky.  We don't get snow on top of snow.  We don't get clusters of days off from school all in a row.  We don't get snow that snow plows can't take care of.  It just isn't supposed to happen here.  You must have us confused with Alaska or Minnesota.

Now, pack up your snow clouds and turn around and go back to where you done came from. 

Bring it on freaky warm days in the middle of winter!  Bring IT!

Sincerely,
Janjanmom

Today, I have to share this excerpt from a series at one of the blogs I regularly read, Sandy at God Speaks Today:


And finally, according to Dr. Flett, here are The Top 10 Signs that Your a Perfectionist:





-You cannot stop thinking about a mistake that you made.






-You are intensely competitive and cannot stand doing worse than others.






-You either want to do something 'just right' or not at all.






-You demand perfection from other people.






-You will not ask for help if asking can be perceived as a flaw or weakness.






-You will persist at a task long after others have quit.






-You are a fault-finder who must correct other people when they are wrong.






-You are highly aware of other people's demands and expectations.






-You are very self-conscious about making mistakes in front of others.






-You noticed the error in the title of this list.



I DID NOT notice the error in the title.  Some might say I am tired...I prefer to cling to the notion that janjanmom is finally...recovering!!

39...

...and holding.  I have officially reached the last age.  The one everyone quits on.  I have had an amazing day and it isn't over yet.  Plus, there is more to come tomorrow.

I have to tell this fabulous story about my amazing husband.  With all the techies in the world, smart phones have become a way of life.  Most people can and do access the internet with their phones.  I have played with these phones, studied them, researched the operating cost and determined...I love my trackphone.  The frugal guru in me knows that I have the best value.  2 of my sisters have smart phones and I often play with theirs.  My sister Pam even has smart gloves...they have little pads on the finger and thumb so you can operate your phone with gloves on.  All of this has led me to calling my phone a dumb phone.  All it can do is be a phone and text.  It also features the amazing graphical game of Snake...it might even be Snake II.  I call it a dumb phone affectionately because I don't really want a smart phone.  Too much $$.  AND, I would have access to the internet everywhere, which for me would be really dangerous.

Now to the part about my husband being amazing.  He did not know that my nick-name of dumb phone was affectionate.  (I also call my fingers and gloves dumb around Pam...it adds to the humor.)  He simply heard me call it a dumb phone and though I was sad for not having a better phone.  So he presented me with one last night for my birthday and added that I would no longer have a dumb phone.  I tried desperately to play with it...but realized that I would definitely have to read the instruction manual to operate it.  We took a couple of bad pictures and then went on facebook.  Then I had a flashback to 1996 when we got a $120 bill for our $40 a month cell phone and I found myself unable to breath.  I confessed that I love my cheap PREPAID NO SURPRISES dumb phone.  ALOT.  I don't love change.

(This is the exact phone and it is terribly cute.  I also fully realize it is not a smartphone by definition, but for my purposes...really stinking smart!)

Today we met at Best Buy, expressed our buyer's remorse and returned the smart phone.  I feel like a 20 ton load is lifted off of my shoulders.  I may be the only person in the world to feel this way, but I don't want a smart phone.  I love my dumb phone.  Not as much as I love my smart husband who lives to make my wish his command if it is possible.  The fact that he was willing to sign a contract for two years of service to get me something he thought I wanted...well, let's just say that is the gift that keeps on giving...for both of us.

Thankful Tuesday

Today, I am thankful for:

• Snow that is NOT going to hit here.  My snow dance card is still full from the last few.  I am prayerful for the Midwest...that it isn't as bad as they say it is gonna be.
• Three wonderful (MUCH older) sisters that help bear the load of being in the sandwich generation.  It is really nice how we all have different giftings to bring to the table.  It sure isn't easy, but we laugh...ALOT and loudly.
• Three wonderful daughters that keep me on my toes, spiritually speaking.  They have increased my authenticity 3 fold.  They have also increased my stress levels, insanity levels and grocery bills, but I wouldn't change a thing!
• Getting older...SHUT UP...I am aging gracefully, I hope.
• Audio books and regular books.  When I was younger, I loved escaping to another world.  Now it is a habit I'm not sure I could live without. 
• Friends who allow me to be on their adoption journeys.  There is nothing more exciting than seeing a family enlarged by the miracle of adoption.
• School.  It has really been a blessing, despite the challenges it brings.  I still believe teachers who love and care for their students have the most rewarding and most challenging jobs ever.  To have that much influence over a young life is a powerful and amazing calling.
• My home.  Sometimes I get house envy-especially when I go visit someone in a brand new house.  However, we have more than enough and it is a home filled with life and love.  A new house would solve some problems, yes, but it would also usher in a whole new set of problems.
• My job.  I have the most flexible job ever.  It almost seems as though I don't even have a job.  LOL.  I have worked one day so far.  That would be alot cooler if I was salaried. 
• Computers.  They have enhanced my life in so many ways.  Even though I sometimes long for the old days (but with running water and flushable commodes), now is pretty awesome!
• Church Camp!  We are registered!!  WAHOO!
• I could go on and on forever...when you count your blessings it can't help but be a great day.